Vehicle-brake.



No. 850,225. 1 PATENTED APR.16,'1907.

E. HOFFMAN.

VEHICLE BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-6, 1906.

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3 wumboz Wnaoaaa C7? 9' I gag .E'argHwmah *W/W- M PATENTED APR.'16,1907.

No. 850,225. Y

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFioF.

VEHICLE-BRAKE;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed Apr 6, 1906. $erial No. 310,310.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EARL HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oomstook, in the county of Custer and State of Nebraska,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Brakes, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to vehicle-brakes, and has for an object toprovide a brake which is operated automatically by the load of thevehicle when going down hills.

Another object is to provide a movable vehicle-body acting to throw onthe brakes when going down a hill, the brakes being withdrawn by thedraft animal or animals.

Other and further objects will appear in the following description andwill be more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the vehicle employingmy brake. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same vehicle with the bodyand wheels removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment ofthe whiffletree-mounting. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of anotherembodiment of the whifl'letree-mounting.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the rear axle;2, the front axle; 3, the vehicle-springs supporting the regularbody-loops 4, and 5 the vehicle-body.

The body-loops 4 are connected on each side of the carriage by tracks 6in the form of pipes, and the vehicle-body 5 is adapted to travel on thetracks 6 in the direction of the draft of the vehicle and relatively tothe vehicle-axles. To permit the free travel of the body 5 on thetracks, the body has secured near each end a cross-piece 7, eachcrosspiece having secured at each end a bearingframe 8, which is locatedon the outside of its track and carries an upper roller 9 and a lowerroller 10. The rollers 9 and 10 are adapted to run, respectively, uponthe upper face and lower face of the tracks. The bearingframes 8 of eachcross-piece are connected to each other below the tracks by a brace 11,

which is connected near its center to its crosspiece 7.

Extending transversely of the vehicle andjournaled at 12 on the tracks 6is a brake rock-shaft 13, having at each end a hanger 14, which isadjustable on the shaft by a setscrew 15 and carries a brake-shoe 16 toengage the rear wheels, and an upwardly-extending arm 17, provided witha openings 18. I

The body 5 is flexibly connected to each of the arms 17, so that whenthe vehicle-body moves forward relatively to the axles the levers willcause the rocking of the shaft 13 and the application of brake-shoes 16.

Each flexible connection comprises a hook 19, screwed to the body, and achain 20, secured to the hook and .in any one of the openings 18 byanother hook 21. The series of openings 18 is provided so that thepressure on the shoes 16 may be varied to agree with the load in thevehicle. For a very light load the leverage would be the maximum, andfor a very heavy load the leverage would be the minimum.

Depending from the center of the rockshaft 13 and beneath the body is anarm 22, to the free end of which is connected one end of a coil-spring23, which extends rearwardly and upwardly therefrom and is connected tothe bottom of the vehicle body, thereby tending to hold the brake-shoesto the tires of the wheels.

As before stated, the vehicle has its brakes applied automatically whengoing down a hill. To remove the brakes when the bottom of the hill isreached and maintain them removed from the tires, I provide a mechanismconnected to the whifiietree of the vehicle, so as to be operated by thedraft animal or animals when they are pulling thereon. For this purposethe whiffletree 24 is slidably mounted on the thill 25 and has aflexible connection 26 with a pull-bar 26 which is also connected to thearm 22 on the rock-shaft 13, whereby when the animals pull on thewhiffletree the shaft 13 is rocked in a direction to pull off thebrake-shoes and return the body 5 to its original position.

The details of construction herein shown may be varied in many ways. Forinstance, instead of having the whiffietree slidable on the thills itmay be connected to one end of a lever 27, pivoted intermediate its endsat 28 on the thills and connected at its other end to the flexibleconnection 26.

The flexible connection 26 passes between guide-pulley 29.

It is apparent that as soon as the animals stop pulling on thewhiffletree the coilspring 23, will apply the brakes. If the vehicle isgoing down a hill, the body 5 will then move on the tracks 6, and theweight of the plurality of 3 body and its load Will assist in thebraking action.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

A vehicle-brake, comprising a frame, having guide-rods on each side ofsaid vehicle, bearings mounted on the front and rear of said rods,transverse rods connecting the bearings and forming supports for thevehiclebody,-said rods having a pair of front and rear L-shapedprojections to limit the movement of said vehicle-body, a rock-shafthaving brake-shoes thereon, and a pair of vertically-disposed arms,adapted to apply 15 said brakes, when the vehicle is travelingdowngrade.

In testimony W ereof I hereunto afiiX my signature in presence of twoWitnesses.

V EARL HOFFMAN.

Witnesses H. B. GLovnR, JOSEPH ALLANEEK.

